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Author Notes: Barbara Kafka's basic formula for roasting chickens in the high-heat method is about ten minutes to the pound for a chicken at room temperature, untrussed. Feel free to adapt this recipe up or down for larger or smaller birds using this rule (up to 7 pounds). Kafka urges us to have fun: "This is not astrophysics." Try stuffing instead with herbs, shallots, a quartered small onion, celery leaves, or juice or blood orange wedges. Recipe adapted from Adapted from Roasting: A Simple Art (William Morrow, 1995) - Genius Recipes

Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500°F (or for convection, reduce to 450°F).

Remove the fat from the tail and crop end of the chicken. Freeze the neck and giblets for stock. Reserve chicken livers for another use.

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon, garlic, and butter, if using. Season the cavity and skin with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken in a 12 x 8 x 1 1/2-inch roasting pan breast side up. Put in the oven legs first and roast 50 to 60 minutes, or until the juices run clear. After the first 10 minutes, move the chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula to keep it from sticking.

Remove the chicken to a platter by placing a large wooden spoon into the tail end and balancing the chicken with a kitchen spoon pressed against the crop end. As you lift the chicken, carefully tilt it over the roasting pan so that all the juices run out and into the pan.

Optional: Pour off or spoon out excess fat from the roasting pan and put the roasting pan on top of the stove. Add the stock or other liquid and bring the contents of the pan to a boil, while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Serve the sauce over the chicken or, for crisp skin, in a sauceboat.

I make this simple chicken recipe a lot. I roast it in a large skillet then make a simple gravy on the stove top while the chicken is resting. It comes out perfect every time. I love experimenting with new flavor profiles. Last week I had some left over gremolata from Minimally Invasive's delicious Short Rib Ragu (https://food52.com/recipes...) and used it as rub under the skin of the chicken. Amazing.

Excellent Roast Chicken! Followed recipe other than adding fresh thyme and sage sprigs to cavity. Boiled the left over juice with broth plus added everything from chicken cavity (lemon,garlic,thyme and sage sprigs). Was a bit too salty so added 1/2 cup of water and continued to reduce while chicken rested. WAS THE BOMB! Thank you Barbara!

If you have a problem with the chicken For good fortune in the New Year, a plate of black-eyed peas is considered auspicious, especially in the American South. Believe it or don’t. For many, consuming this frugal dish on the first day of the year is said to augur wealth.

Of course, there’s a back story.

Sephardic Jews were evidently eating black-eyed peas for good luck on Rosh Hashana centuries ago, and the custom eventually traveled with them to America. (We think of beans as purely New World, along with tomatoes, chiles and potatoes, but legumes like field peas, chickpeas and lentils have been Old World staples since biblical times.)

Black-eyed peas also arrived in Florida and the Caribbean, carried by African slaves. Just as African seasoning influenced Creole cooking, so black-eyed peas became part of the wider culture.

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Black-Eyed Peas With Ham Hock and CollardsBy David Tanis

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Ultimately, the Civil War played a part in the spread of the black-eyed pea throughout the South. The ravages of war and the scarcity of food changed the region’s diet. Dried beans and corn, formerly considered the food of the poor (or animal fodder), became the food of the entire population, and I expect most people felt lucky to have it.

City KitchenDavid Tanis’s weekly cooking column.A Sausage Roll Recipe for Boxing Day DEC 19A Seasonal Salad in Bold Strokes of Red DEC 12The French Know How to Feed Party Guests DEC 5Braise Your Way Through Winter NOV 28Turkey Hash Is a Great Thanksgiving Leftovers Dish NOV 21See More »

Black-eyed peas cook much like any other dried bean. An overnight soak in cold water helps them cook faster. Simmered with onion and a meaty ham bone (other options are salt pork, bacon, pigs feet, hog jowl and ham hock), they can be prepared quite simply, with just salt and pepper. But they may also be made highly seasoned with hot pepper and spices; some cooks add tomato.

I find the New Year’s custom especially attractive, as I’m a certifiable bean booster and would gladly dig into a bowl of black-eyed peas anytime. They have an exquisite texture and aroma like no other legume.

Adding cooked greens (the color of money) is said to make them even luckier.

Freshly baked cornbread (the color of gold) is the perfect accompaniment. Stir in some steamed rice and you can call it Hoppin’ John, though purists will say the rice and beans should be cooked in the same pot. It’s still a lucky dish, either way.

Aside from being outrageously tasty, black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day may also help a hangover. But I like the good-luck factor, and encourage guests to have at least a taste. It couldn’t hurt, right?

I used a 4.6lb chicken and it needed 75 minutes, not 50-60, but mine wasn't brought to room temp. In addition to the lemon, garlic and butter, I also stuffed the cavity with some thyme and a little onion. Made the pan sauce with the drippings and 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock, 1/2 cup extra dry vermouth. Everything was delicious - But my bird didn't look like the bird in the picture. The skin was crisp, especially on the breast and the upper part of the thighs, but the rest - while brown - wasn't super crisp. Easy, no-fuss recipe.

This was incredibly simple and delicious. The high heat as well as not rubbing butter on the skin are out of my comfort zone but yielded perfectly cooked white and dark meat and golden brown, crisp skin. Next time I'll try it without the optional butter in the cavity, just for experimentation's sake.

does this recipe recommend the 2nd lowest rack position because the chicken is supposed to be farther away from or closer to the heat source? (i have a separate broiler oven underneath my regular oven, so the heat source is below the regular oven.)

This is a good technique but I can't agree with "50 to 60 minutes, or until the juices run clear." Instant read thermometer is a must, in my opinion. Remove from the oven when an instant-read thermometer reads 155 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast. The thickest portion of the thigh should be 10-15 degrees higher. Rest for 10-20 minutes and the temperatures should rise another 10 degrees.

I love this recipe, it is now in regular rotation at my house. So easy. I roast it in a cast iron skillet and have added potatoes and carrots to the pan to cook along with the chicken - very good. I have also placed a separate pan of vegetables in the oven along with the chicken to roast - a fantastic, simple, delicious dinner.

I've roasted lots of chickens in my day, usually via the Julia Childs technique of basting every 10 minutes or so. this recipe was as good as hers and a lot easier (no basting). I put a greased cast iron skillet in the oven while it was heating, and then put the chicken in the hot skillet to roast. Used a ThermaPen temperature probe where the thigh and the breast meet. All I can say is, "wow!" Crispy skin, tasty and tender meat.

I've never roasted a chicken before, this recipe was my first time! thank you so much! I do have a question however: the breast was already well cooked and drying but the bottom/drumsticks were still not cooked. How do we make sure that it is cooked evenly?

Agree with mschrank's suggestion. In addition, make sure the legs are loose (not trussed) so the heat can get into the thigh area. But if the legs are not done, do this: Remove from oven when the breasts are at 155. Remove legs and move the rest to a platter to rest (you want a 10-20 minute rest anyway). Put legs back in pan until they reach temp (another 10 minutes, probably).

This chicken was absolutely delicious!!! Fanned and faved!!! Just one NEGATIVE comment, if you (commenters) aren't going to follow the recipe EXACTLY, then why are you posting about the finished product not being like you hoped. If you tried/followed the recipe and it didn't work out, that' what I want to know about. Sharing new recipes, flipping the bird to breast down, adding rosemary are not part of BK's recipe. BK's chicken recipe came out fabulous as is! Will make this at least once a week and then maybe, maybe, maybe for variations try different seasonings.

I've made lots of roast chicken recipes over the last 30 years, and this was a hit at our house. Keep a window or door open if, like us, your kitchen is not adequately ventilated. Wonderfully moist chicken!

This sounds great, but I would still turn the bird on its breast so that gravity can help to keep the breast moist. Please DON'T use canola, the plants that it's made from have been genetically modified.

All food is and has been genetically modified, it's the timing and techniques. Today's genetically modified are targetted alterations rather than the shot gun and inbredding (and time) of animals and plants needed achieve more milk, more rows of corn per ear, pest resistance, etc. etc. over the last cople of milleniums.

I've been roasting my Thanksgiving turkey this way too, for years, thanks to Barbara and Gourmet Magazine. Simply THE best!!! Smoke has never been a problem but I am diligent about keeping my oven clean. I roast all my vegetables at 500 degrees too- green beans, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, asparagus........a little olive, salt and pepper- simple, unadulterated and oh so yummy.

I would urge everyone to try, what I consider the easiest and best, roast chicken and that is Rozanne Gold's Naked Roast Chicken. All she does is place a 4 pound chicken in a small roasting pan, just large enough to hold the chicken. It goes in breast side down in a preheated 475 degree oven. After 30 minutes she turns it over and bastes with the pan juices. Roasts 40 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through. She sprinkles it with salt and allows it to rest 5 minutes. The best roast chicken I have ever made - Perfectly juicy every time. Reduce the time if the chicken is less than 4 pounds. My only recommendation would be to lightly spray the pan with canola oil to prevent the skin from sticking. The chicken goes very well with Gourmet's Black Pepper-Maple Sauce.

Just a follow-up note: I tried the trick I mentioned below and it worked great! No smoke! And a few slices of deliciously flavored potatoes for the cook (the ones around the outside we're black, but the slices under the chicken were decadent). Glad I found a way to enjoy this great method without smoking the family out of the house.

I tried this last wk and it came out perfect, wasn't sure whether to chopped the garlic/squeeze the lemon, Anyway I didnt, now I can make roast chicken crispy/now i'll add my only flavor. Just rmbr to baste it which I didn't,so it stays tender/don't overcook. I had no issues with smoke why should you, even though I've never put my oven on 450 before.

I have been using Kafkas recipe successfully for more than a decade by following these Cardinal rules: be sure bird is completely thawed and our of refrigerator for 30-40 minutes prior to cooking, do not open stove door for first 40 minutes, be absolutely sure your oven is completely clean.

So I decided to give this recipe a shot. As others mention, the smoke is a bit heavy but I cracked windows and turned on the exhaust fans in advance and managed to avoid setting off the alarms. I was not able to have my chicken sit out to room temperature prior to cooking (although thawed) and adjusted the time from 10 min per pound to 15 minutes per pound (I roasted a 5 lb chicken). I stuffed it with shallots, garlic, lemon, and butter. I sprinkled a bit of Pampered Chef's Rosemary herb seasoning mix and garlic salt on top. We had no complaints, the chicken crisped up nicely and was cooked fully thru without issues. The breast was a little dry at the top but a slice or two into it the breast meat was moist. We agreed to make this again in the spring with the windows open. HA! I give it an 8 out of 10.

This recipe turned out awful as other reviewers have stated. The alarm went off, had to tell the alarm company to stand down and as soon as I cut into the leg, blood. After cooing for almost an hour, the chicken is back in the oven, the sides are getting cold and we're still tring to get the smoke out. The alarms are silent but the girlfriend isnt.

Worst roasted chicken recipe I have ever made and I've made plenty. If you enjoy the house smoking up hearing your smoke detectors going off, then have at it. The sauce that is made at the end is horrible. The only thing that was good about this chicken was that it looked good. I had to cook it longer than the recommended time given as it was still pink inside, thus more smoke in the kitchen. I should have listened to the comment about cooking it at such a high heat for such a short time.

I can't wait to try this!i have seen this enfamercial on t.v. advertising this cooker thator half cooks frozen solid turkeys, chicken, and basically any meats......it cooks them in like 30 to 60 minutes from solid frozen!!! They were saying how moist, and yummy the meat was done when it was done!! So in retrospect, if that can be acomplishedfor sure this recipe can!!

I tried this again, just placing one bird in the pan. Smoked out again! I just read a tip on the Cook's Illustrated site: Line the pan with thinly sliced potatoes to absorb the grease/juice and stop the smoking. I'll try this next time, since I don't make gravy from the drippings anyway. Also, I found a whole lemon stuffed the cavity too much and prevented the bird from cooking evenly (no heat could get into the cavity). All this notwithstanding, it was one of the best roast chickens I've made!

This was absolutely delicious. I put garlic cloves, lemon slices and ginger slices in the cavity. The meat was moist and amazing, the skin crispy, the sauce from the juices divine. But I did get a kitchen full of smoke even with cutting off fat from tail and crop. Any suggestions for eliminating the smoke?

The result was great, but am I the only one who had a house full of smoke resulting from this? I did two birds at once, placed on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. The high heat combined with the drippings onto the hot roasting pan resulted in the need to remove the batteries from the nearest smoke detector and lingering smell of over-roasted chicken for 3 days! I'll they this again, but place only one bird directly on the bottom of a roasting pan as directed.

I finally tried this method over the weekend after contemplating every which way I could prepare two chickens. I thought about the Ruhlman rosemary brine, the Judy Rodgers dry rub, spatchcocking and grilling, etc. -- the number of ways to prepare a chicken is dizzying! Because I wanted something truly simple (with no advance prep), this recipe fit the bill. It yielded the most succulent birds and by far the crispiest skin I've ever gotten on a chicken. The recipe really doesn't seem all that different from others -- but somehow the sequence of steps is unique and truly genius.

Gosh, this was so easy and so lovely. I too have tried many other roasting methods, many to great success, but none as easy and juicy as this. I still spatchcock my turkeys for Thanksgiving, as it cuts down greatly on the roasting time and I have only one oven. But I will never make a chicken another way again. Thanks for bringing us "back to basics".

I'd been using Keller's method for a few years and liked it. The Kafka chicken is even better--I just tried it tonight. I think the thighs cook better in this version, and yet the breast doesn't overcook.

This is one of my "go to" techniques, when I want to demonstrate that cooking well doesn't require a lot of gadgetry and arcane skill. The high heat throws em, but once demonstrated- it's rather like a religious conversion.

Sometimes not getting hooked by every recipe that comes down the pike is a blessing. I have this recipe from the original release of book and still use it to great success. Many of her recipes including microwave risotto are great.

I have a question about the recipe "Barbara Kafka's Simplest Roast Chicken" from Genius Recipes. Would limes work just as well as lemons in this recipe? I was thinking of stuffing the cavity with limes and a quartered yellow onion.